Thursday, September 27, 2012

I am sure you have noticed the lack of blogs, both in content and postings. I seem to have Bloggers Block, a condition that I feel certain is not mine alone, but makes the rounds. Is anyone immune? Suggestions? Anyway, I have been struggling lately.

But, I do have a quilt to show you, a cute baby quilt made from Dr. Seuss fabric.

This fun quilt is a shower gift for my DIL and my soon to be grandson.

I cut circles out of the Dr. Seuss and appliqued the circle, and the left over part of the block onto white fabric. I made two sizes of blocks, and put them together in random order.

This quit is especially crinkly. I like it, but it may be a bit too crinkly. Most of the time I do not pre-wash my fabrics, but I may have to reconsider this.

The quilting is something I learned from Angela Walters new book, Free Motion Quilting. I love the concentric circles, it gives a new look to the spirals I do so often. This was a really fun design to quilt, and I love the look of it.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Matinees are the best. Ticket prices are lower, and it is such a fun way for my husband and I to spend a few hours together on a Saturday. And, the money you save on the ticket can be spent on popcorn.

I love popcorn, and even though they charge way too much, I buy it, and enjoy it. It is one of my predictable movie behaviors. Besides the lower ticket prices, I like going to the matinee because is usually less crowded which is a big deal for me. I have this weird thing about movie theaters, I have to get there way too early, get kinda panicky if there are "too" many people in the theater, and after the movie is over, I sit and watch all the credits. Anyway, more than you cared to know but oh well. Now on to what movie did we see?

Trouble With the Curve.

Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams (love her) and Justin Timberlake to name a few. I thought it was well worth watching. Maybe a bit predictable, but a good movie that was enjoyable, and I am glad we saw it. Some movies really are not fun to sit through, and I am tense for the duration of the show, and leave the theater exhausted and unsettled. I like to be entertained, sit back and relax, enjoy the show, and eat my popcorn. This was a good movie to do just that.

I am still quilting, just have nothing to show for it right now. Hopefully there will be some photos to share next week.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

My son Chad has been busy making denim quilts. He has collected piles of old jeans, and now he has three small quilt tops pieced.

He made the whole quilt look "wonky" by adding a tapered border. The center nine blocks were straight before he added the border. I love the look of this one.

This one has several pockets on it.

Here is Chad's daughter Micah putting an earlier quilt to good use.

Chad came to my longarm training with me and took the class, so as soon as I finish up the quilt that is loaded, he will quilt up these denim quilts. He chose a colored canvas for the backing which makes for a nice sturdy backing, perfect for a picnic and outdoor quilt.

I am so glad that Chad loves to quilt, and more important to make and create gifts for his family and his friends who are starting their families. My sewing has come full circle, and that makes me happy.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

This is a small quilt made by one of our guild members for our Community Service group, which will be donated. I love quilting these quilts for a variety of reasons. First, it is a way I can give back a little, and I receive other benefits as well. It is a chance to practice and try out new designs. That being said, I still take care to do my best, even if it is the first time with a design. And, that being said, I find my weakness in new designs, and can practice those skills further.

So, I wanted to try the free motion feather swirl designed by the Green Fairy. I will admit here and now that I had trouble with this one. Judi makes it look so easy, but it took me pages and pages of trial and a lot of error with pen and paper to get a good feel for this one. I think I am on my way, but there is room for improvement.

I have more empty space than I would like, but over all I am pleased with the results.

This is my "own" design for a border using Judi's feather swirl. I like it, and with more practice I will love it.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

I posted this spring on our chicken adoption where we gave seventeen baby chicks to our broody hen. Well lately I have been finding new eggs.

These new eggs are tiny. I have never seen such tiny chicken eggs.

These are some of our regular eggs

And here are the normal eggs next to the new "tiny" eggs. The one one the end is the smallest ever. These little eggs are just so cute. I haven't eaten any of them, I think it will take about three of the tiny eggs to equal a regular egg.

I am sewing and quilting, and updates on those projects will come in future posts. Sometimes I debate if I should post on all the random things going on in my life that do not involve quilting, and my answer to myself is yes. Quilting is a huge part of my life, but all this other stuff between quilting is the rest of my life. So, thanks for sharing all the other stuff, I appreciate it.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Saturday was my birthday, and I am not shy about stating that I am 57 years old, and life is good. I had a great day. A three hour lunch with my sister. Now that's a lunch. We had a relaxing time talking, and talking, and some eating. It was such a treat. Then, my daughter hosted a dinner to continue the celebration. Family, friends, and my grand babies. It was a great evening.

And, there were gifts. I frequently I tell my husband he doesn't listen, but he proved my wrong. I guess he really does listen after all. He totally surprised me with this little gem.

I have a "new" featherweight, and I am so excited about her. I have been actively looking for one for quite some time, but never saw just the right one. Well, Steve talked to some friends and did some searching on his own, and now I have this little beauty. She came with all the parts and accessories, all in great condition, and she sews like a featherweight, which is beautifully. Thank you Steve.

And look at this, quilting socks. How fun are these? I had no idea there even were quilting socks, but I love them. These were a gift from my friend who came to visit this weekend. I met her through dog events, and now we share our love of quilting (and dogs too of course)

My bounty continued with coffee, coffee, dinner, shopping, and more coffee. My friends and family know how to make me very happy. My birthday seemed to last all weekend, and who's to complain about that? I felt the love, and know that I am a lucky gal.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

I finished the t-shirt quilt, and I am so very pleased with this one. It is 105" square, so I couldn't fit it all in the photo, but you get the idea.

For the quilting I wanted a design that was flexible so I could work it around patches and buttons, yet still give some texture to the finished quilt. I made up this double line with random circles, and I think it works well. I was able to work around the buttons that were on a couple of the blocks, and the blocks with real heave latex logos, I could limit the stitching in those areas, yet it still balanced out.

Here you can see the double line with a circle quilting.

For the back, orange, the athletes favorite, and green to tie in with the sashing.

A few questions I have received, and some things I learned while working on this quilt.

I did not use interfacing to stabilize the knit fabric. I did iron each shirt, using starch, and when I layed the shirt out before cutting, I made sure not to distort or stretch it. I stitched all edges of the knit fabric with woven sashing, and that stabilized it just fine. I knew the size I cut the blocks, so I made sure to pre-cut the sashing, and then sewed the knit to the sashing, which ensured accurate measurements.

I have never used another brand of longarm, but I was thrilled that my Innova had no troubles with this quilt. I did slow down while going through the heavily printed logos, and through the patches, and the multi layers that ended up on some of the blocks. I used monopoly thread on the top and white Sew Fine in the bobbin.

So, I am between quilts now, and I am looking forward to a visit from a friend this weekend. She is coming home from a Cindy Needham quilt retreat where she is learning FMQ on her domestic machine. It will be fun to share quilting techniques, but mostly just to visit with a friend.

About Me

I am Esther, and I have loved sewing as long as I can remember. Many years ago, I started an embroidery business so I could work from home and raise my children. I now own a longarm quilting machine to redirect my home based business to match my current obsession. Sewing has always been part of my life, and try as I might not to, I always have threads on the floor.